Employees and tenants at the Kenya Meat Commission headquarters in Athi River, the majority of them civilians, are anxious about their next steps after the agency was transferred to the military.
President Uhuru Kenyatta in a directive on September 7 moved the KMC from Agriculture to Defence ministry.
Since then, KDF officers have camped at the factory after securing its entire premises.
The officers have since restricted movements into and out of the company.
They have taken over KMC’s security systems with only handful of private security guards still allowed in.
In the meantime, several KMC tenants have opted to move out of the premises in Machakos county for fear of the uncertainty.
Agriculture CS Peter Munya in a memo to his PS and copied to KMC managing commissioner James Ole Serian said the transfer was expected to be completed within two weeks.
“Following the transfer of ministerial responsibility of the Kenya Meat Commission to the Ministry of Defence by H.E the President, you are directed to facilitate a seamless transfer of the Kenya Meat Commission to the Ministry of Defence.
“Ensure that you coordinate the entire exercise with the National Treasury and transfer the associated budgets at the next scheduled Supplementary Budget. You are required to submit a fortnight report to my office on the progress made,” Munya’s letter read in part.
A resident told the Star KMC has not benefitted them.
“No one is opposed to the running of the functions of the oldest meat processing company going to the military, but its current location has no economic significance to the local Mavoko residents and to extent the larger Machakos county,” the resident said.
He said the agency should be relocated to Northeastern where livestock farming is in large scale.
“If the best way to revitalise the operations of KMC is placing it under the military, you need to relocate it.”
Munya said the company was under modernisation and staff rationalisation to be more efficient.
